Geno Auriemma slams 'delusional' Caitlin Clark fanbase for flagrant foul outcry

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Geno Auriemma slams 'delusional' Caitlin Clark fanbase for flagrant foul outcry originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Geno Auriemma has plenty to say about the recent discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark.

In an interview with Richard Deitsch on his podcast, legendary UConn coach Auriemma called out "delusional" fans who have spun fouls that Clark sustains -- such as the flagrant fist to the throat from the Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas last month -- into all-encompassing narratives that he called "referendums on America."

MORE: Fever in familiar spot without Caitlin Clark after Aces blowout

"Because the bandwagon and the fandom became so obsessed with the whole thing, it turned into a cause," Auriemma said Tuesday on "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch. "(Clark) became the reason why white players get beat up in the WNBA and she became the reason why Black players don't get the endorsements and don't get the adulation that white players get. Not every foul is a good foul. Not every foul's a bad foul, but there are fouls that are flagrant -- but that's all they are."

Here is PART of what Geno Auriemma said on the Caitlin Clark discourse. The whole answer -- it's a long one -- is in the podcast below. He had a lot to say on it and WNBA officiating. https://t.co/uaZGs79REnpic.twitter.com/pNCfbYJhag

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) July 7, 2026

Auriemma, a 12-time national champion at UConn, lamented the "Jesus coming down to save the WNBA" treatment that Clark has received, especially as the Indiana Fever superstar never has explicitly asked for such treatment. Auriemma believes it was awarded to her during her highly-successful four-year stint at the University of Iowa, where she became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer led the Hawkeyes to two national championship games while shattering broadcast viewing records.

"Every first-round draft pick gets fouled hard. ... I hope people listening can differentiate here. She never stood up and said, 'I'm Jesus and I'm coming.' This was not something created by her," Auriemma said. "It was created about her by all the people in America who are delusional that think one player who's not Wemby is going to come in and transform the league."

That attention obviously has followed Clark to the WNBA, and the 24-year-old herself isn't entirely comfortable with the narratives enveloping her.

"I turn on the TV Sunday, the game was on Wednesday and that's all people are talking about," Clark told reporters last week. "That's a real disservice to our league. ... For the narrative to be taken other places, that's just really not acceptable."

More WNBA news:​

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  WNBA MVP Ladder: Where A'ja Wilson, Olivia Miles and Caitlin Clark rank at midpoint of 2026 season
  
  
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  Stephanie White's postgame message had Fever fans wondering the same thing about Caitlin Clark
  
  
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  Wings' Paige Bueckers puts historic streak on the line against the Liberty
  
  
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  Skylar Diggins and the Sky are involved in a fresh controversy ahead of Mercury showdown
  

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